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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Bile Salt-induced Biofilm Formation in Enteric Pathogens: Techniques for Identification and Quantification

Bile Salt-induced Biofilm Formation in Enteric Pathogens: Techniques for Identification and Quantification

Published on: May 6, 2018

The high biofilm-encoding Bee locus: a second pilus gene cluster in Enterococcus faecalis?

Susanne Schlüter¹, Charles M A P Franz, Frank Gesellchen

¹Department of Microbiology, University of Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Strasse 40, 34132, Kassel, Germany. susanne.schlueter@uni-kassel.de

Current Microbiology

|May 22, 2009

Summary

A mutation in the srt-1 gene reduces biofilm formation in Enterococcus faecalis by affecting the Bee-2 protein complex. This suggests srt-1 is crucial for pili structure and enhancing bacterial biofilm.

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Bile Salt-induced Biofilm Formation in Enteric Pathogens: Techniques for Identification and Quantification

Bile Salt-induced Biofilm Formation in Enteric Pathogens: Techniques for Identification and Quantification

Published on: May 6, 2018

Engineering Adherent Bacteria by Creating a Single Synthetic Curli Operon

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Published on: November 16, 2012

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Molecular Biology
Proteomics

Background:

Enterococcus faecalis is a significant opportunistic pathogen known for its ability to form biofilms.
Biofilm formation is a critical virulence factor, contributing to persistent infections and antibiotic resistance.
Understanding the genetic regulation of biofilm formation is essential for developing targeted therapeutic strategies.

Observation:

A mutant strain of Enterococcus faecalis exhibited significantly reduced biofilm formation and primary attachment compared to the wild-type.
Molecular and proteomic analyses identified a point mutation in the srt-1 gene within the bee (biofilm enhancer in Enterococcus) gene cluster in the mutant strain.
Mass spectrometry revealed a deficiency of the Bee-2 protein in a high molecular weight complex in cell surface protein extracts of the mutant.

Findings:

The mutation in srt-1, encoding a sortase-type enzyme, directly impacts the stability or assembly of the Bee protein complex.
Srt-1 appears to be essential for linking Bee-2 with Bee-1 and Bee-3, forming a functional complex.
Conserved pilin motifs in surface proteins suggest the bee genes, regulated by Srt-1, are involved in pili formation.

Implications:

The study elucidates a novel mechanism for biofilm regulation in Enterococcus faecalis, involving the srt-1 gene and the Bee protein complex.
These findings highlight the potential role of Srt-1 and the Bee cluster in the assembly of surface structures like pili, which are crucial for biofilm development.
Targeting the srt-1 gene or the Bee complex could offer new avenues for combating Enterococcus faecalis biofilm-related infections.